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[JerseyGuy]

Leading House Republican: Iraq not a reflection on me
From Lisa Goddard
CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As she fights for her political life, Ohio Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce distanced herself Thursday from the Iraq war, telling CNN Radio, "What's happening in Iraq is not a direct reflection on me."

The seven-term representative is the House Republican Caucus chairwoman, the fourth highest-ranking position in the House. She won re-election in 2004 with 62 percent of the vote. However, experts say her current race with Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy is a toss-up.

Pryce made the remark Tuesday in an interview at a Columbus, Ohio, factory. When pressed by CNN on whether her position as a House leader connected her to the volatile situation in Iraq, Pryce objected to the interruption of her remarks and said the interview was over.

"Thanks, I'm done," Pryce said. She expressed frustration and walked away saying, "Maybe we'll call you later when I'm feeling better."

In a statement issued to CNN later, Pryce finished her response, writing, "What's happening in Iraq is not a direct reflection on me."

"I voted to give the president the authority to use force in Iraq; that doesn't mean I'm always happy with what I see, but I can think of nothing worse for our troops or our prospects for success than having 435 members of Congress second-guessing our commanders," Pryce wrote.

Pryce's reaction comes in a pressure-filled race where Iraq is a prominent issue.

In a CNN poll released Wednesday, Iraq topped the list of issues that Americans consider "extremely important" as the country heads into Tuesday's midterm elections.

Another poll conducted for CNN by the Opinion Research Corp. and released Monday found that 59 percent of Americans oppose the war in Iraq, while 38 percent support it.

Ohio voter Audrey Burns, who toured the factory when Pryce was there, said the war is the deciding factor for her at the polls.

"We need to get out of there," Burns said. "We're losing guys right and left."

The 28-year resident of Columbus whispered that she's voting for a change this year.

Pryce has her own base of support, many of whom applaud her for rising into leadership and using her position to help the 15th District -- encompassing most of Columbus' urban areas as well as the city's western suburbs.

"She's been tremendously effective," said voter Hernando Posado. He believes Pryce is in a tight contest largely because of low approval ratings for the president.

Thirty-seven percent of Americans approve of the way President Bush is handling his job, while 58 percent disapprove, according to a CNN poll released Monday.

Well, of COURSE the disaster in Iraq isn't a "direct reflection" on her! As John Boehner (R-Desperate) has established, it's the GENERALS' fault!

Here's what Ms. Pryce thought about Iraq before it became a political liability:

"I didn't see any chaos. Everything seemed pretty normal."- Rep. Deborah Pryce on Iraq, (Columbus Dispatch, 10/24/03)

“Colleagues of ours who have been there talk of wheat fields and oil fields and cotton fields. This is progress. It is a beautiful picture of what comes of our noble pursuit in the fight for freedom and the war against terror.” - Rep. Deborah Pryce, (Columbus Dispatch, 10/16/03)

“We are close. Iraq is experiencing the first fruits of freedom and now they must be completely transitioned into a state of stability. So far, the coalition provisional authority has made significant progress on infrastructure improvements and governmental restructuring. All of Iraq’s hospitals are now fully functional. Schools are opening and running.” - Rep. Deborah Pryce, (Congressional Record, 10/16/03)


And here's Ms. Pryce's hard-nosed, kick-ass point of view from just a few weeks ago:

"You have to have your head in the sand if you don’t take that threat seriously. This is a threat that we will live with until we defeat the terrorists. The central front in the war on terror is Iraq... I’m willing to have U.S. troops in Iraq until we defeat terrorism in Iraq." Rep. Deborah Pryce, (Debate with Mary Jo Kilroy, 10/12/06)


And, well, here we are now:

"Iraq? What's an 'Iraq'? I don't know what you're talking about. Uh, I think I have a headache. I gotta go." - Rep. Deborah Pryce, (Entirely in my Imagination, 11/3/06)

[RJSVermont]

Politicians are pathetic............


I'm also glad to see that some of the weapons we're supplying are most likely being sold to the same terror groups our troops are fighting.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/10/ ... index.html


14,000 U.S.-supplied weapons reportedly missing in Iraq
POSTED: 10:22 a.m. EST, October 30, 2006
Adjust font size:
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Thousands of weapons the United States has provided Iraqi security forces cannot be accounted for, and spare parts and repair manuals are unavailable for many others, a new report to Congress says.

The report, prepared at the request of the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Virginia Republican Sen. John Warner, also found that major challenges remain that put at risk the Defense Department's goal of strengthening Iraqi security forces by transferring all logistics operations to the defense ministry by the end of 2007.

A spokesman for Warner said the senator read the report over the weekend in preparation for a meeting Tuesday with Stuart W. Bowen Jr., the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.

Warner, who requested the report in May, "believes it is essential that Congress and the American people continue to be kept informed by the inspector general on the equipping and logistical capabilities of the Iraqi army and security forces, since these represent an important component of overall readiness," said Warner spokesman John Ullyot.

The inspector general's office released its report Sunday in a series of three audits finding that:


Nearly one of every 25 weapons the military bought for Iraqi security forces is missing. Many others cannot be repaired because parts or technical manuals are lacking.



"Significant challenges remain that put at risk" the U.S. military's goal of strengthening Iraqi security forces by transferring all logistics operations to the defense ministry by the end of 2007.



"The unstable security environment in Iraq touches every aspect" of the Provincial Reconstruction Team program, in which U.S. government experts help Iraqis develop regional governmental institutions.

The Pentagon cannot account for 14,030 weapons -- almost 4 percent of the semiautomatic pistols, assault rifles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and other weapons it has been supplying to Iraq since the end of 2003.

The missing weapons will not be tracked easily: The Defense Department registered the serial numbers of only about 10,000 of the 370,251 weapons it provided -- less than 3 percent.

Missing from the Defense Department's inventory books were 13,180 semiautomatic pistols, 751 assault rifles and 99 machine guns.

The audit on logistics capabilities said there is a "significant risk" that the Iraqi interior ministry "will not be capable of assuming and sustaining logistics support for the Iraqi local and national police forces in the near term." That support includes equipment maintenance, transportation of people and gear and health resources for soldiers and police.

The audit on Provincial Reconstruction Teams said that, because of security issues, they "have varying degrees of ability to carry out their missions." Auditors reviewed nine teams and four satellite offices and found "4 were generally able, 4 were somewhat able, 3 were less able and 2 were generally unable" to accomplish their goals.